Wyoming (Mike Enzi) - Governor Dave Freudenthal/Former Congressional candidate Gary Trauner: pretty much the only two high profile Democrats in the state at the moment; Freudenthal enjoys a mammoth 77-19 approval, but has indicated no interest in the race; Trauner came within about 1,000 votes of winning the At-Large Congressional seat in 2006

SEEMS LESS OBVIOUS (deep benches) - who would you prefer?

Minnesota (Norm Coleman) - do we choose the high-profile satirist, the millionaire public interest attorney, or well-known legislators?

New Hampshire (John Sununu) - do we choose the popular, young Mayor, the prominent activist, the progressive businessman, or the medical professor/former astronaut? An embarrassment of riches that not only should scare Sununu but also Gregg in '10

New Mexico (Pete Domenici) - several prominent Congresspeople and current and former statewide elected officials - just waiting on Domenici to make a retire or run for re-elect decision

Kitzhaber, Shaheen, Lynch, and Henry appear to have given categorical No's. (While Shaheen and Lynch would walk to victory, the wealth of candidates in NH leave me feeling very confident about Sununu's lame duck status. Similar with Kitzhaber. I'll grant you that I'd like Henry to reconsider.)

Mike Easley, in the piece you cited, actually said:

Begin Quote:Easley again said he has no interest in running for higher office in 2008, when he must step down as governor because of term limits. He has been mentioned as a possible candidate to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

"I think I would find the legislative process frustrating. I mean, it's frustrating enough when you're chief executive. I just don't think the Senate would be my highest and best use," he said.

But Easley seemed to leave open the possibility that he would accept an appointment in a potential Democratic presidential administration. He expressed frustration with a range of Bush-administration policies, including tax cuts and the war in Iraq.:End Quote

Finding the legislative process "frustrating" isn't the same as a categorical No, no matter how much you may want it to be. Especially when all of Easley's comments are obviously geared toward indicating that he'd be very interested in serving as the '08 Presidential nominee's running mate! When Easley realizes that he may not be that high in the Veepstakes pecking order, then he may give a Senate bid a more thorough look, and either show interest or actually give a categorical No.

"He continues to dismiss the ongoing speculation that he will run against GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole as she seeks a second term."

"Easley has consistently dismissed a potential run against Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008."

As for your comments, he has gone further than saying he'd be frustrated in the Senate. He has said "No". And he's not running for Vice-President. His remarks make it very clear that he has no intention to run for office again, including as a VP on a ticket. He's not a candidate for Veepstakes, he's a candidate for a Cabinent appointment in a Democratic Administration. Since he'd have to wait around until Election Day to find out if that will happen, that makes his entry into the race even more remote.

You can hope beyond hope that Easley will change his mind, but at the very least, accept the fact that it would require a change of mind--from a decision of "No, I'm not running" to "Yes, I will run", or even "I haven't thought about it" (a common deferral that doesn't indicate anything)--for Easley to be a candidate.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other candidates in North Carolina who may or may not turn it into a competitive race. But absent a top-tier challenger like Easley, Dole is likely to run for re-election, as she's already publically stated.

By the time Easley realizes that he's not high up on the veep list, it'll be too late for him to jump into a senate race. So, we gotta keep looking for a candidate in NC.

As for some of the other races . . . in Minnesota, I hope Rep. Betty McCollum ends up with the nomination. Franken and Ciresi already have too many liabilities. Plus, Franken isn't even funny anymore! He comes off as wooden, except when he's being a scold. DEFINITELY not the way to win people over!

And here's a choice outta left field, just something to ponder-- how about John Grisham running in Mississippi? He has been a state legislator before, and everbody knows that he's an expert on all matters pertaining to the law! Plus, he can self-finance, allowing the DSCC to spread its resources around more. And he has name recognition, statewide and national . . .